http://www.familyhealthguide.co.uk/7-myths-of-ab-training.html
7 Myths of Abdominal Training
The abs are the definition of a problem area when it comes to exercise and
weight loss. Even on the most stringent diets, the midsection can be the
hardest area to target. The keys to getting toned and trim abs are dedication
and patience.... And making sure you don't fall victim to any of the myths
about ab training.
Myth 1
Lots of ab work will remove fat from the front of the waist
Muscle and fat are different types of tissue. It's impossible to remove fat
purely by working the muscle directly underneath. Fat reduction in a specific
spot through exercise is impossible. The only way to spot reduce fat is through
surgical intervention, which has its own issues and is not always a good long
term solution.
The best way to reduce fat is to decrease your food intake and increase your
activity level so that you are in a caloric deficit, then your body will burn
the fat to provide for the balance of its energy requirements.
You could develop great abdominal muscles but whether you can see the lines of
your abs depends on how much fat covers your waist.
You could do three hours of ab work daily, but if your food intake and activity
levels don't combine to yield an energy deficit, you'll never reduce the fat
around your waist.
Whether you do ab work is irrelevant to the amount of fat around your waist,
but to develop strong toned abs, ab work is essential.
Myth number 2
Twisting movements will remove fat from your waist.
Got to the gym and you'll find men and women with a light bar across their
shoulders, vigorously twisting from side to side. They do this under the
mistaken belief that they will whittle away the fat on their waists. Some
people have been doing this for years without success.
Myth number 3:
The abs need high reps
To strengthen and develop the abs, keep the reps moderate and the effort levels
high. Use sufficient resistance to keep the reps down and keep adding
resistance as you develop strength. Treat your abs like you would any other
muscle.
A benefit of doing allot of ab work is that it consumes sufficient calories to
make a contribution to energy output over the long haul. This is an efficient
way of burning calories.
TIP: For the most efficient calorie burning, perform an activity that involves
as many muscles as possible and can be sustained for long periods, such as
walking.
No matter how many calories you burn through exercise, if you eat excessively
you won't be in caloric deficit and you'll never reduce your body fat.
Myth number 4
The abs need daily work
Although the abs may tolerate more frequent work than most other body parts,
they can be overworked too. Excessive training frequency for these muscles is
connected to the mistaken belief that a lot of ab work will reduce waist and
stomach fat. Train your abs two or at the most three times per week.
Myth number 5
The abs have two separate muscles, the upper and lower abs
The six-pack or washboard is the rectus abdominis muscle and is the visible
frontal part of the ab wall (provided there is minimal fat covering it).
In addition, the ab wall includes the external abdominal oblique and the
internal abdominal oblique (the sides of the waists) and the transverses
abdominis, beneath the rectus abdominis.
The rectus abdominis is one long flat continuous muscle that runs from the
lower ribs to the groin. While it's not possible to isolate the upper and lower
abs, the two sections may respond differently to flexion that requires the
shoulders to move towards the hips, compared to flexion that requires the hips
to move towards the shoulders.
Myth Number 6
Gadgets are needed to train your abs
Some gadgets properly used do target the abs and do work well. However there is
nothing a gadget can do that you can't do with various abdominal crunches, when
they are done correctly. Many of these gadgets are poorly made and some can
actually be dangerous. Don't be mislead by the hype. Stick to crunches and do
them well.
Myth number 7
Electronic muscle stimulation is the easy way to work out your abs
There's some use for electrical muscle stimulation in physical therapy but for
healthy men and women it doesn't compare to resistance training. You have to
sweat, move and push yourself progressively if you are going to change the
shape of your body. Even if the electronic gadgets stimulated muscles like
regular resistance training, you would still need to lose the fat in order to
see your abs.
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